During its meeting at the 2015 Pan American Conference, the executive council of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) re-elected for a term of three years incumbent chairman Louis Romanet.

With the large concentration of graded stakes scheduled for spring and summer, The Jockey Club is reminding regulators and racetracks that it has budgeted another $250,000 in grants for out-of-competition testing.

Gulfstream Park will become the first racetrack to use the graded stakes out-of-competition testing grant fund, beginning with the March 29 Besilu Stables Florida Derby (gr. I), it was announced March 11.

The Jockey Club intends to continue with its efforts to market Thoroughbred racing and develop new patrons, but the organization's leader said Aug. 12 those efforts must go hand in hand with medication and penalty reforms.

The Jockey Club June 13 announced plans to develop a statistics-based system that would notify track officials and regulatory veterinarians when a horse that has been entered in a race is facing a heightened risk of injury.

Industry organizations are taking a wait-and-see approach to an April 30 hearing at which members of Congress will examine health and safety issues in horse racing--and whether progress has been made since the last hearing.

The New York Racing Association and The Jockey Club announced that the June 7 Belmont Stakes Charity Celebration will benefit the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and the Backstretch Employee Service Team.

Brad Kimbrell, who has served as executive vice president of InCompass Solutions since March 2009, has been named president of the company, it was announced Dec. 20 by James Gagliano, president and CEO of The Jockey Club.

The recommendations in the McKinsey Report, a document design to drive growth in Thoroughbred racing, already are being implemented, including plans for four consecutive Saturdays of television coverage next spring.

The Jockey Club May 16 announced the launch of Thoroughbred Connect, a free online service designed to assist with placement of Thoroughbreds following the conclusion of their racing or breeding careers.

The Jockey Club is once again offering owners and breeders the opportunity to contribute, through a voluntary checkoff program, to Thoroughbred aftercare programs at the time they register their foals in 2010.